The most important stories in Berkeley in 2012

Berkeley in 2012 was filled with drama — a contested election, a failed nomination for a new school superintendent, a few missteps by the Chief of Police, and major changes at the University of California, among other events. Here’s a recap of the issues that had the deepest impact on Berkeley, plus a few fun ones thrown in.

2012 may go down as the year civility left the premises. There was name calling among council members, obstruction of business, and even a game of musical chairs. If you aren’t familiar with those references, in June Max Anderson told Mayor Tom Bates not to treat him like one of his “little punks”; in July, in what appeared to be an attempt to stop a vote to place a sitting ban on the ballot, Anderson and his fellow councilmember, Kriss Worthington, sang, clapped, and danced their way through the a portion of a meeting, and were briefly joined during a council recess by a clapping (but not singing or dancing) Jesse Arreguin. Later Darryl Moore shouted “shut up” to get Worthington to stop belting out lyrics. After Bates defeated Worthington in the race for mayor, Bates decided he no longer wanted his long-time nemesis sitting next to him at meetings and got him moved.

The highlight of civic life in 2012 may be the opening of two branches of the Berkeley Public Library, part of a $26 million effort to renovate or replace the four branches that serve the city’s neighborhoods. In April, local dignitaries and crowds gathered to celebrate the complete renovation of the North Branch Library. In May, it was the Claremont Branch Library’s turn.

In not so happy news, the U.S. Postal Service announced in June that it intended to sell Berkely’s Main Post Office on Allston Way. Both citizens and politicians reacted immediately to the news and set out to convince the postal service to change its mind. Despite all the rallies, protests, and meetings, the experiences of other cities show chances of saving the post office are slim. But the city’s official position – we don’t want to see it for sale – has also stymied any official work on trying to find a buyer who might convert it into a use that keeps the building accessible to the public. Still, at least one developer has expressed an interest in the historic building constructed in 1914.

Police

Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan:

Two years after Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan was sworn into office, he faced his most challenging year ever. In March, after a community meeting held to air the events around the tragic murder of Peter Cukor in the Berkeley Hills, Meehan dispatched his public information officer to the home of an Oakland Tribune reporter at 12:45 a.m. Meehan did not think what Doug Oakley had written and posted online was accurate, and he sent Sgt. Mary Kusmiss to ask him to change it. The subsequent furor raised questions about Meehan’s judgment, police censorship and a free press. The city conducted an investigation into Meehan’s actions, but neither the city nor the police department has agreed to publicly release the findings of the $25,000 report. Then, a few months later, ten Berkeley police officers and detectives went to Oakland in search of an iPhone stolen from Meehan’s son. That news also became a media sensation. The chief defended his actions and insisted it was a response police would do for any citizen.

Berkeley Unified School District

Edmond Heatley, who briefly was a candidate for the superintendent’s job at BUSD.

It was also a year of tumult for the Berkeley Unified School District. Bill Huyett, who had been superintendent for four years, announced in December 2011 he would retire in June 2012. When the school board had not identified a replacement by then, Huyett agreed to remain longer. On Aug. 31, around 2 p.m., just before the start of the Labor Day weekend holiday, the board announced they had settled on a final candidate: Edmond Heatley, the superintendent of Clayton County Public School District, near Atlanta, GA. Within days his nomination had unraveled after it was revealed that while he was superintendent in Chino in 2010, he authored a memo affirming his support of Proposition 8, the California initiative to ban same-sex marriage. Berkeley families were outraged by this disclosure because they thought that attitude would not be compatible with Berkeley values. Less than three weeks later, Heatley removed his name from consideration. The school board now plans to restart a search in the spring. There has not been long-term fallout from the board’s decision; incumbent Beatriz Levy-Cutler was reelected to a four-year term on the school board in November despite her past support for Heatley.

The University of California

Chancellor Robert Birgeneau

There were a lot of changes at UC Berkeley in 2012 as well. Chancellor Robert Birgeneau announced in March that he would return to teaching at the end of the year. Birgeneau stood at the helm of the university for eight years. He saw the financial contribution of the state of California towards the university drop precipitously. He also raised record amounts of money. In November, the Board of Regents named Columbia University Dean Nicholas B. Dirks to replace Birgeneau. He will start in June 2013.

Berkeley Patients Group, the largest dispensary operation in Berkeley with as much as $15 million in annual profits, was forced to move in May after U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag threatened to seize the building on San Pablo Avenue from its landlord, David Mayeri. Haag said BPG was located within 1,000 feet of a school, which was a violation of the law. BPG resorted to delivery only for seven months. On Dec. 19 it reopened in a smaller space on San Pablo Avenue near Channing Way.

Update 1/3/13: This article has been corrected to show that Jesse Arreguin did not sing, dance, or clap during any active portion of the meeting the City Council held to consider putting a sitting ordinance on the ballot. Arreguin remained quiet and at the dais while Anderson and Worthington got up in front of the council to sing. Arreguin only got out of his seat once the council was in recess and returned to his seat once it was once again in session. He only clapped. The article has been updated to show that Moore yelled “shut up,” at Worthington.

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“The Zoning Adjustments Board voted last week that another collective, Greenleaf, was a public nuisance and will move to shut it down in the coming weeks.”

This could be implied to mean that the ZAB itself will move to shut it down. The ZAB only has authority to make quasi-judicial rulings. Pending the City Council’s siding with our decision, the City itself, namely the code enforcement personnel within the Planning Department with possible help from the City Attorney’s office, would be the ones working to shut it down,

Frances Dinkelspiel

Thanks. I will clarify that.

Guest

when going back in time its easy to gloss over details; check the facts , if by “lying over endorsements” the author is referring to yes on T… they need to dig deeper. Miscommunications within the union created that drama. Watch how you use the word lie some of us still know what it means,